Friday, 14 December 2007

A Brussels Perspective

There has been a great deal of electronic ink spilled over the banning of SIOE’s proposed demonstration on September 11 in Brussels. The on-off-on again situation seems fairly complicated, but a few simple questions need to be asked.

The first is this:

Does SIOE have a legitimate claim in their belief that the traditional culture of Europe is being detrimentally undermined in favour of the non-secular culture of Islam?

Ten years ago, little was heard of Islam in Europe. Today, we can read endless proven stories of segregated swimming pools, Halal meat served in public institutions, religious studies in schools operating with an anti-Christian and pro-Islamic bias, areas of European cities operating under Islamic law, a blind eye turned to polygamy and police forces failing to uphold the law of the land for fear of violence, choosing instead to clamp down on indigenous Europeans who speak out.

Whilst all of this is happening, Saudi Arabia is pumping billions of dollars into the building of Mosques within which imams call for the overthrow of the democratic West, to be replaced by a global Islamic Caliphate. Their propaganda is eagerly absorbed. 40% of Muslims in Britain wish to see their adopted country run under Sharia law.

Princeton History professor, Bernard Lewis, believes that the demographic imbalance between Muslims and indigenous Europeans will bring about an Islamic Europe this century; a scenario admitted by European leaders such as Swedish integration minister Jens Orback, who has stated, “We must be open and tolerant towards Islam and Muslims because when we become a minority, they will be so towards us.”

All of the above is evidence of an existing and accelerating Islamisation of Europe.

SIOE’s claim is therefore legitimate.

Is SIOE a legitimate movement?

SIOE is a legal entity. It’s website carries no inflammatory or racist remarks, it does not call for an end to Muslim immigration, nor the deportation of Muslims from Europe. It exists, in it’s own words, “to combat the overt and covert expansion of Islam (not Muslims) in Europe,” and condemns racism as “the lowest form of human stupidity.” It has no history of violence or incitement to racial hatred and has made no suggestion that this will change in the future.

SIOE is therefore a legitimate movement.

Does mayor Thielemans have a legitimate cause for banning the demonstration?

The reasons he has given to date are:

One: The local Muslim community in Brussels will be offended by the presence of SIOE and may react violently.

Two: That SIOE and it’s supporters, by their mere presence in Brussels, will contravene Belgian and European Union law regarding incitement to racial hatred, as laid down by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.

In argument of his first reason, mayor Thielemans can only turn down a march, based on security reasons, if the local police had so advised him. As the police gave their permission, mayor Thielemans has gone beyond the remit of his office.

As regards his second reason, both Belgian and EU law allow the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. There is no law or precedent that allows Thielemans to pre-judge the actions of a peacefully planned demonstration, especially if it’s organisers have no history of violence.

If any instances of incitement to racial hatred were shown on the day, then those individuals should be arrested, and if the organisers overtly supported those arrested, then the march should be disbanded.

But that can only happen on the day. It cannot be pre-judged.

Both reasons are therefore illegitimate.

To sum up, a legitimate body (SIOE) in pursuance of a legitimate belief, having followed the correct legal procedures, have now illegitimately been denied their citizens right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.

As such, under Belgian and EU law, the human rights of the SIOE and it’s thousands of supporters have been illegally violated.

I would therefore make the following suggestion:

A Class Action lawsuit be filed on behalf of SIOE and its supporters at the European Court of Human Rights, against mayor Thielemans and the Belgian City Council, in the amount of one hundred million Euros.